UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Dec. 1

Redacción de Reuters

4 MIN. DE LECTURA

LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Britain’s FTSE 100 index is seen opening 23 to 33 points lower, or as much as 0.5 percent, on Monday, according to financial bookmakers. For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on

* Growth in Chinese factories stalled in November as output shrank for the first time in six months, reinforcing expectations that authorities will roll out more aggressive support measures after unexpectedly cutting interest rates to shore up growth.

* VODAFONE - The company is reviewing potential acquisitions, including of Europe’s leading cable operator Liberty Global, to counter the pending consolidation among rivals in Britain, five people close to the matter said.

* HSBC - Two directors of HSBC’s British business have expressed concerns about new rules that can result in jail sentences for senior bankers, but only one has resigned, and that was mainly due to extra demands on his time, the bank said.

* LLOYDS BANKING GROUP - The bank’s insurance unit Scottish Widows has put its offshore investment and tax planning business up for sale. Several parties have already expressed interest in the Isle of Man-based operation business which Lloyds inherited when it acquired HBOS, The Financial Times reported.

* GLAXOSMITHKLINE - The drugmaker will this week inform U.S. staff of hundreds of job cuts in its biggest market as the drugmaker starts implementing a major cost-saving programme, sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

* Oil fell more than $2 a barrel to a five-year low in Asian trade on Monday, extending a steep sell-off after OPEC decided not to cut production last week, keeping markets well supplied.

* London copper tumbled to its lowest in four-and-a-half years on Monday, while Shanghai metals slid, tracking a drop in oil prices as global crude supply looked set to overwhelm demand.

* Gold slid 2 percent on Monday and silver slumped to its lowest since 2009 after Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to boost central bank gold reserves, providing a new trigger for sell-offs in an already nervous market.

TODAY‘S UK PAPERS

> Financial Times

> Other business headlines Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available for: * 3000 Xtra : visit topnews.session.rservices.com * BridgeStation: view story .134 For more information on Top News visit topnews.reuters.com (Reporting by Atul Prakash; Editing by Francesco Canepa)